FREDERICKSAYSGAMBLINGMAJORCONCERN

Kansas athletics director Bob Frederick sees gambling as a major issue in college athletics today.

"We are so concerned about the number of college student-athletes we believe are gambling as a result of the Michigan study and others conducted recently," said Frederick, a member of the NCAA committee on sportsmanship and ethical conduct.

He has studied several surveys that indicate a large number of students gamble on college sports.

"We believe we need to take every possible measure to protect the integrity of all games we play," Frederick said.

Thus, Frederick is in favor of the government banning gambling on college sporting events.

"We've been unable to get the attention of most college and university presidents and chancellors," Frederick said, regarding gambling on campuses. "With so many social problems we are dealing with -- drugs, alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases, this may be the most difficult of societal problems in terms of how it impacts intercollegiate athletics."

Frederick is in favor of asking media outlets to stop publishing betting lines on college games.

"I understand newspapers say they are providing information and there's a first amendment issue there," Frederick said. "But I think that any newspaper has a right to say, 'We don't want to publish point spreads.' I think it does nothing but increase interest in gambling.

"When I was on the (NCAA men's basketball) committee and the two years I was chair we went through this and we tried to encourage newspapers to not publish point spreads. We did not make any progress.

"I just think gambling is such an issue on college campuses, anything we can do to reduce the amount of conversation, print or whatever about it is a benefit."

Frederick has brought to campus Bill Saum, the NCAA's director of agent and gambling activities, to speak to KU's athletes about the dangers of gambling.

"He is more knowledgeable about gambling at the collegiate level than anybody in the country," Frederick said. "He works with the FBI and federal agencies. He realizes it is a huge problem with college students."